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‘A caste census may help sharpen the diagnosis, but it cannot administer the cure’ | Photo Credit: Getty Images Census data have long been the backbone of public policymaking in India, offering critical insights into sectors such as health, education, employment and housing. In this context, the Narendra Modi government’s recent announcement to include caste … Read more
In contemporary spaceflight, cost, reliability and time form a tense triangle. Whether more money can ensure more reliability is tricky to answer, more so following the failure of ISRO’s PSLV-C61 mission to launch the EOS-09 earth-observation satellite into a sun-synchronous polar orbit. EOS-09 was designed to produce high-quality radar images for civilian applications such as … Read more
(This is the latest edition of the Political Line newsletter curated by Varghese K. George. The Political Line newsletter is India’s political landscape explained every week. You can subscribe here to get the newsletter in your inbox every Friday.) War brings clarity, though it might also lead to erosion of all nuances. In the ongoing discussions in India … Read more
A squeaky clean road in Tokyo. | Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto During my visit to Japan on a family holiday, I was astounded by two features. The first was the pristine cleanliness across the country. As we travelled through big cities and rural areas, public spaces such as parks, markets and train stations and along … Read more
The interiors of a vintage theatre in Jhalawar city of Rajasthan. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement Would you believe there is a theatre in Rajasthan where real chariots and even elephants were brought on the stage during the performance of dramas? The theatre in Jhalawar city is popularly known as Bhawani Natyashala. The beautiful public … Read more
Bullies target the high performers. | Photo Credit: Getty Images I recently read a statement on social media that workplace bullies always target high-performers. And I had no reason to refute it. For some incomprehensible reason, their inadequacies take the shape of jealousy and resentment, breeding mild contempt for high-performers. They later turn these into … Read more
Simple home-made fare holds a special place in our heart. | Photo Credit: Getty Images The recipe was a very old, tried and tested one. It was part of a family tradition and called for several ingredients, processes and elaborate preparation. I had second thoughts about trying it but with clear-cut instructions written in mother’s own hand, … Read more
The illusion of endless alternatives fosters discontent, making us question our own decisions. | Photo Credit: Getty Images In 2007, while working in Dubai, I walked into a mall intending to buy a pair of jeans. What should have been a straightforward task quickly turned into a baffling experience. A cheerful sales girl approached me … Read more
